


Stuck in Reverse

by sleepismyfriend



Category: Doctor Who (1963), Doctor Who (2005), Sarah Jane Adventures
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-17
Updated: 2017-05-17
Packaged: 2018-11-01 22:06:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10930968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sleepismyfriend/pseuds/sleepismyfriend
Summary: The universe was unkind, unforgiving, and had a score to settle, the Doctor decided, walking down the centre of a shovelled sidewalk in Ealing with a seven-year-old Amy to his right, a seven-year-old Rory to his left, and no TARDIS to call on or run to for help. The Zxons weren't kidding when they said the Doctor and his companions needed to learn what trespassing meant.





	Stuck in Reverse

The universe was unkind, unforgiving, and had a score to settle, the Doctor decided, walking down the centre of a shovelled sidewalk in Ealing with a seven-year-old Amy to his right, a seven-year-old Rory to his left, and no TARDIS to call on or run to for help. The Zxons weren't kidding when they said the Doctor and his companions needed to learn what trespassing meant. 

He wondered if he should worry.

The Zxons gave him enough time to find things in the wardrobe room to fit Amy and Rory's new sizes before being escorted out of the TARDIS, and down the corridor towards their teleportation scoop. The Doctor felt too old to be grounded like a first year Academy student, who had violated the shipyard's curfew, but was reassured more than once that no harm would come to his home.

He looked to his companions wearing dark coats with matching red and green knit hats, and knew their ages were a serious problem. Amy and Rory had been seven for three hours, squabbling for two, and he needed help. Especially since he no longer had the TARDIS.

After a ten-minute walk from where the Zxons had dropped them, they turned onto Bannerman Road, known as part of the infamous Ealing Triangle. Sarah's house appeared quiet as they came into view. The Doctor hoped he could keep it that way as he tried to restore his companions' rightful ages and get the TARDIS back. Even with Sarah and her supercomputer's help, he wasn't sure which one would, or even should be fixed first.

Meanwhile, Amy and Rory were on round five of who to blame for this particular fiasco. The Doctor had tuned them out until Rory called Amy stupid, and Amy launched herself at her husband with both fists. The Doctor wasn't amused at having to stop and intervene. 

"Will you two stop fighting? You're as bad as—never mind, you're already children." The Doctor pulled them apart, holding Amy by the arm, and Rory by the hood of his coat. "I need you both to behave, alright? We have more problems right now than we've ever had, and you both know how to conduct yourselves."

"He called me stupid." Amy yanked her arm away, and pointed at Rory before catching the Doctor's gaze, and folding her arms in defiance. 

"I ignored that bit." The Doctor let go of Rory's hood. "Rory, tell her you're sorry."

"But I'm not sorry. We always have to do what Amy wants to do. She wanted to go to the planet with the stupid blue grass and pink sky. Well, look what it got us. We've lost the TARDIS." Rory waved his arms before motioning to himself. "And _puberty_ is a long ways away."

The Doctor held up a hand at the start of Amy's second advance, knowing he would continue to have problems if he couldn't find a way for them to settle their differences. 

"We did not lose the TARDIS, Rory. We know exactly where she is. We've just been grounded. As for your ages, when we get to Sarah's, we'll talk to Mr Smith, and see what he can do," the Doctor said.

"Stupid boys." Amy sneered towards Rory before grabbing the Doctor's hand. As they resumed walking, peace and quiet appeared to settle in, and the Doctor sighed in relief. 

At hearing the repeating chimes of her doorbell, Sarah bounded down the stairs, calling out, "Hold tight, I'm coming. No need to be impatient." She opened the front door to see the Doctor's mischievous smile, as Amy and Rory stood on each side of him.

"Patience is a virtue, one I recall you and I volleying back and forth about any number of times over the years. Hello Smith, you're looking lovely today." The Doctor held up Amy and Rory's hands. "Allow me to introduce my companions, Mr and Mrs Pond. Ponds, this is Sarah."

"Sarah Jane—" Sarah corrected him.

"You're the one that becomes a statue. He kept staring at it when he thought we weren't paying attention." Amy felt the Doctor's grip tighten on her hand, and looked up at him. "What?"

"The statue's built in her honour, Pond, and that honour is quite a ways away," the Doctor sighed, leaning towards her before straightening towards Sarah. "But, never mind—We seem to have run into a snag. Think Mr Smith could give us a hand?"

"Your assistants have always been younger, but not like this." Sarah now eyed both Amy and Rory. "This is a bit much, even for you."

"The sooner we get this straightened out, the sooner we'll be out of your hair. As I recall, you don't like things in your hair for very long," the Doctor said. He then stepped forward, forcing Sarah to step back without reply about things being in her hair. 

Sarah closed the door behind them.

\--

"What do you mean you can't locate the TARDIS? I gave you specific coordinates, Mr Smith." The Doctor stood in front of Sarah's glowing supercomputer, as Sarah hung back with her arms crossed. Her eyes darted between the Doctor, and the two children who had been told to sit and behave on her red leather sofa.

"I spy with my little eye something—Grey," Amy said, doing her best not to bounce up and down or kick the front of the sofa with her red wellies, as Rory sat next to her, leaned back and rolling his eyes.

"Amy, half the things in this room are either grey, metal, or odd-shaped. You're going to have to be less obtuse." Rory rubbed his face, as Sarah tried not to laugh. In a great many ways, the Doctor's companions were still their respective ages. Sarah turned her attention back to the Doctor and Mr Smith.

"My apologies, Doctor, but the Zxon homeworld has a complicated security matrix. Perhaps, you could assist my efforts with additional criteria?"

"It's a TARDIS, Mr Smith. I could give you all the criteria in the universe, but the fact remains it's one of a kind, except for, well, the other ten I know of flying around the space-time continuum. Are you sure there's nothing?"

"I am positive," Mr Smith replied. The Doctor stared at the floor, as Sarah moved forward past him. She pulled a lever on Mr Smith's right panel, and typed several things on the keyboard.

"What are you doing?" The Doctor said, but Sarah remained focused on her task.

"Amy, Rory, come here, please?" Sarah glanced over her shoulder towards the children. Amy jumped up, and came up next to the Doctor, as Rory took several slower steps. "Stand close to the Doctor, alright? This won't take but a second. Mr Smith, ready when you are."

Rory stood on the other side of the Doctor, as Sarah straightened, took a step back, and crossed her arms. Mr Smith flashed several times, but then a green laser net emerged, scanning the Doctor, Amy, and Rory from top to bottom.

"You're having us scanned. Why?" The Doctor asked.

"Because you've got two companions whose age have been reduced more than half, to say nothing about yourself. I'm making sure you're not contagious." Sarah wasn't taking any chances that what happened to the Doctor, Amy, and Rory could spread. 

"Oh, now that's just silly. We stepped into a regenerative field experiment, Smith. Anyone who didn't touch the field directly isn't going to be affected—"

Mr Smith interrupted. "Sarah Jane, under all given parameters, Amy and Rory's vitals appear within normal ranges. However, Doctor, are you aware that your heart rate has increased significantly in both hearts over the last several seconds?" 

"Doctor?" Sarah spoke next, and the Doctor waved her away.

"It's nothing. My heartbeats have always been irregular." As a sudden wave of fatigue overcame him, the Doctor almost loosened his bowtie. It had been a long time since he had felt this particular kind of fatigue, and he wasn't about to mention his sense of time feeling rather fuzzy.

"You're a horrible liar." Sarah reached for Amy and Rory, her concern even greater. "Mr Smith, perform a full medical scan on the Doctor, immediately."

As Mr Smith performed the scan, Sarah noticed the Doctor long sigh. Mr Smith processed the information, and showed various numbers and the Doctor's silhouette on the screen.

"I do not have adequate information to fully process this data. However, my scans show unusual variations in the Doctor's cellular rate of decay. This would account for the increased heart rate—"

"What does that mean?" Amy asked.

"It means your stupid wandering has made the Doctor's sick. We have to find whatever is causing it, and stop it." Rory spoke up, as the Doctor faced the three of them with Amy glaring at Rory.

"You all are overreacting." The Doctor caught a breath, while trying not to frown. "Mr Smith, explain to them what I'm going through is natural." 

"I'm afraid not, Doctor. You should start noticing your physical form changing within the next several hours. In the end, you will appear as one of your younger selves."

"What? You mean, I'm going to degenerate? Like the Ponds?" The Doctor's voice spiked, as Sarah felt his body tense. "That is unacceptable, Mr Smith. My other selves are not user friendly."

"My apologies. I could attempt to extrapolate the rate of decay with your timeline to give you an estimate of which you you will devolve into if you like," Mr Smith replied. The Doctor turned to Sarah. 

"Well, Smith, it appears you're stuck with all of us."

\--

Sitting in her kitchen, Sarah sat across from the Doctor, her hands wrapped around a warm cuppa. So far, the Doctor had said little, staring forward, and looking rather sombre.

"You know, we've been in worse scrapes than this." Sarah tried to smile. "Though, it usually involved something death defying, and never a fountain of youth. Why is that?"

The Doctor sighed.

"I dunno." He pinched his nose. "Though I'm sure after this is all said and done, we could visit some sort of spa planet to rejuvenate your dendrites if you like. Not that you need such things."

Sarah's head casted downward, and the Doctor noticed the slight pink tinting her cheeks. "I'm afraid I don't know which me I'll be before the end of this."

"Does it matter?" Sarah's head lifted towards him, her cheek leaning on one palm. "After all, I did see five of you in a room once."

"You remember that?"

"Of course. Though, I might hold a grudge if you end up all teeth and curls." 

"You and me both," the Doctor said, exhaling, as his chin touched his chest. He then smirked. "Look at it this way, Smith, at least I could apologize properly for Aberdeen."

"Why do you call me Smith now? I noticed it earlier, and meant to say something." 

His head lifted. "Something this incarnation picked up along the way. Do you not like it?"

"I like my name." From the look on her face, the Doctor smirked.

"Of course, my Sarah. How could I forget?"


End file.
